"Big news on the rarely intersecting baseball-soccer front, as the Yankees and Manchester City of the English Premier League are joining forces and dollars to launch an expansion Major League Soccer franchise, the AP reports.

The team, which will be known as the New York City Football Club, will be majority-owned by Man City and is slated to begin play in 2015. As the AP story notes, MLS and New York City are in talks regarding a soccer facility near Citi Field, home of the Mets, in Queens. "They'll be running all the soccer," Yankees president Randy Levine said. "We know our way around New York, how to get things done."

(05-21-2013, 10:43 AM)celestino Wrote: Thanks for the news, Jerry! Is football actually growing in the US?
Good to see it.

It has been for years but unfortunately will never be as popular as American football,Baseball & basketball. I would measurement it in terms of popularity to ice hockey. One of my Grandsons who is 9 years old plays soccer and really likes it.

The wages for Footballers here in the UK is out of control,one of the top players,Wayne Rooney is on about £250,000 a week,thats about $400,000 a week.I think it's obscene.Pensioners can't afford to turn their heating on,and are dying.
Geordie Sam.

(05-21-2013, 03:18 PM)geordie sam Wrote: The wages for Footballers here in the UK is out of control,one of the top players,Wayne Rooney is on about £250,000 a week,thats about $400,000 a week.I think it's obscene.Pensioners can't afford to turn their heating on,and are dying.
Geordie Sam.

The way I see it, if the players are getting a hefty paycheck, then the clubs must be getting the revenue to support those contracts. Wouldn't you rather see the players getting that money than the club owner?

I'm all for the players getting as much as they can for their talents. No one is forcing the clubs to pay those salaries, and no one is forcing the fans through the gates, or forcing them to watch it on TV.

Regarding the topic at hand, I hate the yankers with a passion, but I love the idea of their money behind a soccer team.

(05-21-2013, 07:41 PM)SharpSpine Wrote: The funny thing to me about this...
Manchester City to have ties to soccer in New York
while
Manchester United is owned by a Florida family.
Will this usher in the modern Civil War in the USA?

Pat,in many ways I agree with you,but it's the fans having to pay for this through the turnstiles, arsenal charge the most for a season ticket £1955 which is just under $3000.
On top of that you may have your sons or daughters tickets,or God forbid your wifes ticket.
The working man just can't afford it now.
When I was a kid in the sixties I would go up to my dad,and he would go in his pocket and give me the ticket price no problem,it was literally coppers,now your talking 50 or 60 quid a game.
Sam.

(05-22-2013, 01:56 AM)geordie sam Wrote: Pat,in many ways I agree with you,but it's the fans having to pay for this through the turnstiles, arsenal charge the most for a season ticket £1955 which is just under $3000.
On top of that you may have your sons or daughters tickets,or God forbid your wifes ticket.
The working man just can't afford it now.
When I was a kid in the sixties I would go up to my dad,and he would go in his pocket and give me the ticket price no problem,it was literally coppers,now your talking 50 or 60 quid a game.
Sam.

I agree that the ticket prices to many sporting events are crazy, and I vote with my feet by rarely attending sporting events (or concerts). Watching on TV is much cheaper, the food at home is cheaper, no lines for the bathrooms, and I can pause the action and skip the commercials with our DVR. There are alternatives for a lower priced ticket. In our town I can spend the big bucks to see the Minnesota Twins baseball team, or I can go across the river and pay much less for a St. Paul Saints baseball game. If that's too much there's college games or high school games.

The thing is, there are plenty of people willing to pay the high prices and as long as they fill the stadium, the prices won't come down. Given that there's money flowing into club coffers, I have no issue with the players getting whatever the owners are willing to part with.